Donald “Don” Ray Ballinger

Donald "Don" Ray Ballinger, age 81, of New Castle, Indiana passed away on Monday, October 2, 2023 at his residence surrounded by his loved ones. He was born on Thursday, August 27, 1942 in New Castle, Indiana to his parents; Thomas Ballinger and Mary Jane (Reece) Comer who preceded him in death. Don spent his childhood growing up in New Castle, Indiana and attended New Castle High School. After high school, Don married the former Miss Linda Wages on Friday, June 18, 1961 and recently celebrated 62 years together.   Don and Linda were blessed with three children, Dawna (Kenny) Hardwick, of New Castle, Indiana, Raeanne (Charlie) Helderbrand, of New Castle, Indiana and Nick (Jenni) Ballinger, of Crawfordsville, Indiana. Don was a Firefighter and retired after many years of dedicating his life to serving others from New Castle Fire Station 1. Don was an Indianapolis Colts and IU Basketball fan. Don was not a picky eater at all and enjoyed eating pretty much everything. He was an amazing cook and made everything from scratch, from his delicious chili to his homemade spaghetti sauce. Don was an avid golfer and played many rounds of golf at the American Legion Golf Course in New Castle. Don enjoyed watching horse races and hitting the local casinos for excitement. Don was a regular at the local watering hole, his second home, the Ice House Tavern. Don enjoyed sprucing up his surroundings by painting. To this day, the walls at Fire Station 1 still reflect the work completed by him many, many years ago.
In addition to his wife, Linda and children, Dawna, Raeanne and Nick, left to cherish Don’s memory are his siblings, Brett (Kletis) Horton, Milton (Lucy) Horton, Tanya (Theron) Smith, Barb (Preston) Barlow, Debby (Marty) Weaver and Beth (Steve) Williams. He also leaves behind his faithful companion, Gigi, the Golden Doodle. 

Don is survived by many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends. At the request of Don, he will be cremated.  A Celebration of Life Service will be held on October 22, 2023 from 2-4pm at the Fraternal Order of Eagles, 14 N County Rd 25 W, New Castle, IN 47362.            

In addition to his parents, Don is preceded in death by his sisters; Phyllis (Steve) Cooper,  and Sioux (Gary) Pierce Don will be sadly missed by every life he touched and he will always remain in those who loved him dearly. 

The staff of Liming Family Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Donald "Don" Ray Ballinger. 

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